Ernest Dickerson
| Ernest Dickerson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ernest Roscoe Dickerson June 25, 1951 Newark, New Jersey, USA |
| Other names | Ernest R. Dickerson, Ernest Dickerson |
| Occupation | Film director, cinematographer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
Ernest Roscoe Dickerson A.S.C. (usually credited as Ernest R. Dickerson or Ernest Dickerson; born June 25, 1951) is an American film director and cinematographer. As a cinematographer, he is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee. As a director, he is known for films such as Juice, Demon Knight, Bones and Never Die Alone. He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series such as Once Upon a Time, The Wire, Dexter, and The Walking Dead.
Early life
Dickerson was born in Newark, New Jersey. He studied architecture at Howard University,[1] but also took a film class with Haile Gerima as he already was interested in movies.[2] He later relocated to New York City to attend New York University's film program at the Tisch School of the Arts, where he would meet fellow student Spike Lee. His first feature film as director of photography was also Lee's first film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), filmed while both of them were still students.
Career
After graduating, Dickerson began his career as cinematographer on music videos for Bruce Springsteen, Anita Baker, and Miles Davis, and went on to film John Sayles' Brother from Another Planet (1984), his first professional film as a director of photography.
While working on the first two seasons of George Romero’s television series Tales from the Darkside, Dickerson was a cameraman on John Jopson's concert film One Night with Blue Note (1985) and was later contacted by Spike Lee,[3] who had found the budget to shoot his movie She's Gotta Have It (1986). Dickerson continued his collaboration with Lee on five more films, including Do the Right Thing (1989). Their last collaboration was on Malcolm X in 1992, the same year Dickerson made his directing debut with the crime drama Juice. He also worked as a 2nd unit director on Lee's Miracle at St Anna (2008).
For television, Dickerson has directed several episodes of acclaimed shows such as Once Upon a Time, Dexter, The Walking Dead and Treme. A long time horror movie fan, he has also worked with Mick Garris on both Masters of Horror and Fear Itself and directed Demon Knight and Bones (2001).
The Wire
Dickerson joined the crew of the HBO drama The Wire as a director for the series' second season in 2003.[4] He directed the episode "Bad Dreams".[5][6] Reviewers drew comparisons between Spike Lee's films and The Wire even before Dickerson joined the crew.[7] "Bad Dreams" was submitted to the American Film Institute for consideration in their TV programs of the year award and the show subsequently won the award.[8] Following this success Dickerson returned as a director for the third season in 2004.[9] He directed the episode "Hamsterdam"[10][11] and the season finale "Mission Accomplished".[12][13] In 2006 he contributed a further two episodes to the show's fourth season:[14] "Misgivings"[15][16] and the season finale "Final Grades".[17][18] The fourth season received a second AFI Award and Dickerson attended the ceremony to collect the award.[19] Showrunner David Simon has said that Dickerson is the show's directorial work horse and that he knows the show as well as the producers; Simon has praised Dickerson's directing saying that he "delivers each time".[20]
Dickerson returned as a director for the series' fifth and final season in 2008 and helmed the episode "Unconfirmed Reports".[21][22]
Later work
He would later work with David Simon again, directing several episodes of the New-Orleans based drama Treme, including the season 2 finale "Do Watcha Wanna", which won Dickerson a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series.[23]
Dickerson also worked with Executive Producer and writer Eric Overmyer on both The Wire and Treme. Dickerson directed the episode "Fugazi" for Overmyer's series Bosch in 2014.
Filmography
Television
Director
| Year | Show | Season | Episode title | Episode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Under the Dome | 2 | "Infestation" | 2 | 7 July 2014 |
| 2012 | The Walking Dead | 3 | "Welcome to the Tombs"[24] | 16 | 31 March 2013 |
| "Seed" | 1 | 14 October 2012 | |||
| Dexter | 7 | "Swim Deep" | 5 | 28 October 2012 | |
| Treme | 3 | "Don't you Leave me Here" | 8 | 11 November 2012 | |
| "The Greatest Love" | 4 | 14 October 2012 | |||
| 2011 | The Walking Dead | 2 | "Beside the Dying Fire" | 13 | 18 March 2012 |
| "18 Miles Out" | 10 | 26 February 2012 | |||
| "Bloodletting" | 2 | 23 October 2011 | |||
| "What Lies Ahead" (with Gwyneth Horder-Payton)[25] | 1 | 16 October 2011 | |||
| Dexter | 6 | "Talk to the Hand" | 11 | 11 December 2011 | |
| "Sin of Omission" | 8 | 20 November 2011 | |||
| Treme | 2 | "Do Watcha Wanna"[26] | 11 | 3 July 2011 | |
| "Can I Change My Mind?" | 8 | 12 June 2011 | |||
| Last Man Standing | 6 June 2011 Television feature | ||||
| 2010 | The Walking Dead | 1 | "Wildfire"[27] | 5 | 28 November 2010 |
| Treme | 1 | "Right Place, Wrong Time" | 3 | 25 April 2010 | |
| 2009 | Dexter | 4 | "Road Kill" | 8 | 15 November 2009 |
| Stargate Universe | 1 | "Earth" | 7 | 6 November 2009 | |
| The Vampire Diaries | 1 | "Haunted" | 7 | 29 October 2009 | |
| Lincoln Heights | 4 | "Relative Unknown" | 7 | 26 October 2009 | |
| "Trash" | 5 | 12 October 2009 | |||
| Burn Notice | 3 | "Shot in the Dark" | 7 | 23 July 2009 | |
| In Plain Sight | 2 | "A Frond in Need" | 8 | 14 June 2009 | |
| Law & Order | 19 | "Exchange" | 20 | 13 May 2009 | |
| Medium | 5 | "Truth Be Told" | 8 | 30 March 2009 | |
| Burn Notice | 2 | "Truth and Reconciliation" | 14 | 19 February 2009 | |
| Fear Itself | 1 | "Something With Bite" | 9 | 3 January 2009 | |
| 2008 | Dexter | 3 | "Sì Se Puede" | 6 | 2 November 2008 |
| Lincoln Heights | 3 | "The Day Before Tomorrow" | 4 | 7 October 2008 | |
| Eureka | 3 | "Show Me the Mummy" | 5 | 26 August 2008 | |
| The Wire | 5 | "Unconfirmed Reports"[21][22] | 2 | 13 January 2008 | |
| 2007 | Lincoln Heights | 2 | "No Way Back" | 7 | 16 October 2007 |
| Weeds | 3 | "The Dark Time" | 12 | 29 October 2007 | |
| "Release the Hounds" | 9 | 8 October 2007 | |||
| Tell Me You Love Me | 1 | "Episode 1.6" | 6 | 14 October 2007 | |
| The 4400 | 4 | "The Wrath of Graham" | 1 | 17 June 2007 | |
| 2006 | The Wire | 4 | "Final Grades"[17][18] | 13 | 10 December 2006 Season finale |
| "Misgivings"[15][16] | 10 | 19 November 2006 | |||
| ER | 13 | "Reason to Believe" | 8 | 16 November 2006 | |
| Masters Of Horror | 2 | "The V Word" | 3 | 10 November 2006 | |
| Heroes | 1 | "Collision" | 4 | 16 October 2006 | |
| The Evidence | 1 | "And the Envelope Please" | 8 | 1 July 2006 | |
| For One Night | 6 February 2006 Television feature | ||||
| CSI: Miami | 4 | "Silencer" | 13 | 23 January 2006 | |
| 2005 | Invasion | 1 | "The Cradle" | 8 | 16 November 2005 |
| Criminal Minds | 1 | "L.D.S.K." | 6 | 2 November 2005 | |
| Crossing Jordan | 5 | "Total Recall" | 6 | 30 October 2005 | |
| ER | 11 | "You Are Here" | 20 | 5 May 2005 | |
| The L Word | 2 | "Luminous" | 7 | 3 April 2005 | |
| Miracle's Boys | 1 | "In the Game of Life" | 2 | 19 February 2005 Mini-series | |
| ER | 11 | "Middleman" | 13 | 3 February 2005 | |
| 2004 | The Wire | 3 | "Mission Accomplished"[12][13] | 12 | 19 December 2004 Season finale |
| "Hamsterdam"[10][11] | 4 | 10 October 2004 | |||
| Good Fences | 29 October 2004 Television feature | ||||
| Third Watch | 6 | "Greatest Detectives in the World" | 6 | 29 October 2004 | |
| 2003 | The Wire | 2 | "Bad Dreams"[5][6] | 11 | 17 August 3003 |
| 2002 | Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie | 31 March 2002 Television feature | |||
| Monday Night Mayhem | 14 January 2002 Television feature | ||||
| Our America | 13 January 2002 Television feature | ||||
| 2001 | Night Visions | 1 | "Still Life" | 18 | 30 August 2001 |
| "My So-Called Life and Death" | 16 | 23 August 2001 | |||
| 1999 | Strange Justice | 29 August 1999 Television feature | |||
| 1998 | Futuresport | 1 October 1998 Television feature | |||
| 1990 | Great Performances | 19 | "Spike & Co.: Do It Acapella" | 1 | 10 May 1990 |
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Our America |
| ||
| Year | Show | Season | Episode title | Episode |
| 1990-1991 | Law & Order | 1 | "Prescription for Death" | 1 |
| "Subterranean Homeboy Blues" | 2 | |||
| "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die" | 4 | |||
| "By Hooker, By Crook" | 7 | |||
| "Prisoner of Love" | 10 | |||
| "A Death in the Family" | 13 | |||
| 1984-1986 | Tales from the Darkside | 1 | "Pain Killer" | 3 |
| "The Odds" | 4 | |||
| "Slippage" | 6 | |||
| "The Word Processor of the Gods" | 8 | |||
| "If the Shoes Fit..." | 18 | |||
| "Grandma's Last Wish" | 22 | |||
| 2 | "Parlour Floor Front " | 4 | ||
| "A Choice of Dreams" | 20 | |||
Film
Director
| Year | Title | Other notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Never Die Alone | |
| 2001 | Bones | |
| 1998 | Blind Faith | |
| Ambushed | ||
| 1996 | Bulletproof | |
| 1995 | Demon Knight | |
| 1994 | Surviving the Game | |
| 1992 | Juice |
also co-writer |
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Other notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Malcolm X |
|
| Cousin Bobby | ||
| 1991 | Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll | |
| Jungle Fever |
| |
| 1990 | Ava & Gabriel: Un historia di amor |
|
| Mo' Better Blues |
| |
| Def by Temptation | ||
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing |
|
| Fright House | ||
| 1988 | School Daze |
|
| The Laser Man | ||
| Negatives | ||
| 1987 | Eddie Murphy Raw | |
| Enemy Territory | ||
| 1986 | Almacita di desolato |
|
| She's Gotta Have It |
| |
| 1985 | Krush Groove | |
| One Night with Blue Note | ||
| 1984 | Desiree |
|
| The Brother from Another Planet | ||
| 1983 | Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads |
|
References
- ↑ "Profile on Ernest Dickerson, ASC". DPTV. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ↑ A. Obenson, Tambay (2013-03-04). "Interview: Award-Winning Cinematographer, Writer & Director Ernest Dickerson, Reintroduced". Shadow and Act/Indiewire.com. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ↑ Kaufman, Lloyd. "The Importance Of Being "Ernest"". Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ↑ "Season 2 crew". HBO. 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
- 1 2 David Simon, George P. Pelecanos (2003-08-17). "Bad Dreams". The Wire. Season 2. Episode 11. HBO.
- 1 2 "Episode guide – episode 24 Bad Dreams". HBO. 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
- ↑ Jeff Shannon. "The Wire Complete First Season on DVD". Amazon.com.
- ↑ "AFI TV programs of the year – official selections (2003)". American Film Institute. 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ↑ "Season 3 crew". HBO. 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
- 1 2 David Simon, George P. Pelecanos (2004-10-10). "Hamsterdam". The Wire. Season 3. Episode 4. HBO.
- 1 2 "Episode guide – episode 29 Hamsterdam". HBO. 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
- 1 2 David Simon, Ed Burns (2004-12-19). "Mission Accomplished". The Wire. Season 3. Episode 12. HBO.
- 1 2 "Episode guide – episode 37 Mission Accomplished". HBO. 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
- ↑ "Season 4 crew". HBO. 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
- 1 2 Ed Burns, Eric Overmyer (directors), Ed Burns, Eric Overmyer (writers) (2004-11-19). "Misgivings". The Wire. Season 4. Episode 10. HBO.
- 1 2 "Episode guide – episode 47 Misgivings". HBO. 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- 1 2 Ernest Dickerson (director), David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2004-12-10). "Final Grades". The Wire. Season 4. Episode 13. HBO.
- 1 2 "The Wire episode guide – episode 50 Final Grades". HBO. 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ↑ "AFI Awards 2006 salutes film and television (2006)" (PDF). American Film Institute. 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ↑ Jim King (2003). "3rd Exclusive David Simon interview". The Wire at AOL. Retrieved 5 November 2007. Page 5
- 1 2 Ernest Dickerson (director), William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. Season 5. Episode 2. HBO.
- 1 2 "The Wire episode guide – episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports". HBO. 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ↑ Walker, Dave. "'Treme' wins 2 NAACP Image Awards". nola.com. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ↑ Mazzara, Glen (2012-11-07). "Ernest Dickerson will direct the @WalkingDead_AMC finale #316". Twitter. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ↑ AMC. "The Walking Dead episode "What Lies Ahead" credits". Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ↑ HBO. "Treme episode "Do Watcha Wanna" synopsis". Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ↑ AMC. "The Walking Dead episode "Wildfire" details". Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ↑ "Awards for Our America (2002) (TV)". Imdb.com. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ "Felix de Rooy Curriculum-vitae". Kunstforum.be. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
External links
- Ernest Dickerson at the Internet Movie Database
- Ernest Dickerson interview about Mo' Better Blues.